BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: The present applicant has had occasion to protect and present an item of memorabilia for display. Of particular interest to the present applicant is the display of items of sporting memorabilia although it is understood that memorabilia can take the form of artistic, historical, political or social items.

Given the developing commercial nature and appeal of memorabilia, particularly in sporting items, there is a real need for a means of both protecting and displaying such memorabilia.

Previously the present applicant has filed an Australian Petty Patent application (Application No. 25287/00) which is directed to protecting an item of memorabilia by providing effectively a single moulded shaped transparent layer, being shaped to conform to an item of memorabilia, and a support substrate.

It has been found by the applicants that their earlier attempts at manufacturing the apparatus according to petty patent No. 25287/00 have proven to be too difficult to manufacture and too expensive, this has a flow-on effect in terms of market prices and appeal. In addition, the applicant has also experienced noticeable flaws/imperfections in the transparent layer, which occurs during the moulding process. These flaws manifest in discrete points of opaqueness/cloudiness and are particularly noticeable in mounting regions, which surround a shaped area. Even further disadvantages noticed by the applicants in their earlier attempts to provide a suitable assembly for displaying memorabilia is that the transparent layer is easily scratched. This becomes a significant problem because the transparent layer constitutes the entire top surface of the assembly and any scratching detracts from the display/presentation of an item of memorabilia. Furthermore during handling and transport of the earlier assembly, the transparent layer was found to be very prone to scratching or scoring both in

the shaped and non-shaped moulded regions, again detracting from the overall visual appearance and commercial appeal of the fully assembled article.

Therefore there is a need to provide an improved apparatus or assembly, which will overcome at least some of the problems of the previous version. Preferably it does not exhibit nor is prone to imperfections, is more readily transported, while still retaining the feature of protecting and displaying an item of memorabilia in three dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: The objects of the invention are accordingly addressed in a first aspect by providing an improved assembly for protecting and displaying a three dimensional item of memorabilia in three-dimensions including: a support substrate having an outer surface and inner surface, the surfaces being separated by an edge; a protective external layer which mounts on to the outer surface of the support substrate, the external layer being at least partially co-extensive with the support substrate; a memorabilia enclosure which is at least partially transparent, the enclosure having a geometry defined by a shaped portion for housing an item of memorabilia desired for display, and a mounting region extending about the shaped region of the enclosure ; an opening in each of the support substrate and external layer which openings are adapted to be aligned so as to form a single opening in a mounted condition for receiving the shaped portion of the at least partially transparent memorabilia enclosure, wherein the mounting region of the memorabilia enclosure is adapted to rest adjacent the inner surface of the support substrate so as to enable retention of the enclosure and display of an item of memorabilia housed within the shaped portion of the enclosure in three dimensions.

Because the transparent memorabilia enclosure per se does not constitute an entire outer layer, as does the applicants admitted prior art, the assembly is significantly easier and cost effective to manufacture in commercial quantities and enables the external layer to be fabricated from relatively hard materials so as to significantly reduce the impact of scratching particularly during transportation and storage. In addition the ability to provide a separate enclosure component enables greater scope for imperfections in the mounting regions, since the imperfections in this region can be hidden from an observers direct view by abutment with a surface of the substrate.

In a second aspect of the invention there is disclosed an improved assembly for displaying a three dimensional item of memorabilia in three dimensions including: a first planar support substrate having an outer surface and an oppositely facing inner surface, the first substrate having an opening therein and engagement means on one of the outer or opposite facing inner surface (s); a second hard transparent layer of planar construction, said transparent layer having an opening therein and being adapted to mount on to the outer surface of the first planar support substrate so that the opening in the transparent layer aligns with the opening in the first substrate; a transparent memorabilia enclosure having a shaped portion for receiving an item of memorabilia of substantially similar shape and a planar flange region extending from the shaped portion for engagement with the engagement means, the shaped portion of the enclosure being adapted for insertion within the opening formed upon alignment of the first substrate and the second transparent layer; wherein the planar flange region of the enclosure is engaged by the engagement means so that the enclosure is securely retained within the assembly while the shaped portion sits proud of the transparent layer thus displaying an item of memorabilia held therein in three dimensions.

In a third aspect of the invention there is disclosed a method of protecting and displaying an item of memorabilia in three dimensions including: providing an assembly including:

a first support substrate having an outer surface and an oppositely facing inner surface, the first substrate having an opening therein; a second protective external layer, the external layer adapted to be co-extensively mounted to the first substrate, the external layer further including an opening for alignment with the opening in the first substrate in a mounted condition; a transparent memorabilia enclosure adapted to be received within the opening formed upon alignment of the first substrate and the second layer, the transparent memorabilia enclosure having a shaped portion for housing an item of memorabilia of similar shape and a mounting region extending about the shaped portion, the shaped portion adapted to extend upwardly through said opening so as to sit proud of the external layer; mounting the external layer on to the outer surface of the substrate so that the opening in the external layer and substrate are aligned, inserting the shaped portion of the enclosure within the opening formed by alignment until the mounting region of the enclosure rests adjacent the inner surface of the substrate surrounding the opening and placing an item of memorabilia within the shaped portion so as to display the item of memorabilia in three dimensions.

In a fourth aspect of the invention there is disclosed an improved assembly for protecting and displaying an item in three-dimensions including: a support substrate; a protective external layer which mounts at least partially co-extensively on to the first substrate, the protective layer further including an opening; a memorabilia enclosure at least partially transparent, the enclosure including a shaped portion for housing an item of memorabilia of substantially similar shape desired for display and a mounting region extending about the shaped portion; wherein the opening in the protective external layer receives the shaped portion of the memorabilia enclosure to enable the shaped portion to extend outwardly from the opening in an assembled condition, and the mounting region rests between the

protective layer and substrate so as to retain an item of memorabilia housed within the shaped portion for display in three dimensions.

Throughout the description of the present invention the term"an opening"includes within its scope no restriction on the positioning of the opening and may include a plurality of openings without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The advantage of this aspect of the invention is that the substrate does not need an opening thus labour costs associated with performing a cut to provide an opening are avoided; PREFERRED ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION: Preferably the assembly includes one or more information plaques and/or one or more photographs is included on the outer surface of the support substrate and the protective external layer has a transparent portion which coincides with the plaques or photographs.

Preferably the protective external layer is mounted to the support substrate by means of an adhesive.

Preferably the protective external layer includes an adhesive layer in the form of a pressure sensitive adhesive.

Preferably the support substrate includes an engagement means for receiving at least part of the mounting region of the memorabilia enclosure for securing the enclosure to the support substrate.

Preferably the shaped portion of the enclosure is secured within the opening by means of a wedging action. More preferably the wedging action is enhanced by using an adhesive so as to fasten the mounting portion to either of the protective layer or the support substrate.

Preferably the protective external layer is a harder material than the memorabilia enclosure.

Preferably the protective external layer is a transparent plastic material.

Preferably the external transparent layer is selected from materials including vacform PETG, hard acrylics, glass or rigid or semi-rigid transparent plastic.

Preferably the mounting region of the memorabilia enclosure is adapted to abut the inner surface of the support substrate away from the protective external layer. Preferably the mounting portion is sandwiched between the support substrate and the protective layer.

Preferably the mounting portion can be of any configuration, but most preferably planar or circular.

Preferably the mounting region and the shaped portion of said memorabilia enclosure is joined substantially at right angles to each other. In use the mounting region abuts against an inner surface of the first substrate so as to be hidden from an observers plan view of said shaped portion.

Preferably the engagement means is a clip-on/clip-off type.

Preferably the shaped portion has an annular flange portion for preventing inadvertent removal of the enclosure from the opening in the protective external layer.

Preferably the assembly further includes an opaque backing board so as to sandwich the mounting region of said enclosure between said backing board and said support substrate.

The present invention effectively hides any areas of imperfection in the enclosure, particularly at the junction between the shaped portion and the peripheral mounting region, and mounting regions, which may occur during plastic moulding. As stated previously mounting regions of the memorabilia enclosure tend to be prone to flaws, which are formed during the moulding process. Any mounting regions in the instant invention are hidden from view in the present arrangement. As a result a harder material can be adopted as the transparent layer, which provides higher resistance to scratching.

Preferably the shaped portion has an annular peripheral edge for preventing inadvertent removal of the enclosure from the opening in the protective external layer. More preferably the peripheral edge is knurled and extends about the shaped portion so as to prevent removal of the enclosure in an assembled condition. One advantage of this system is that the peripheral edge of the enclosure requires less material compared to a planar region, hence associated costs are further reduced.

Preferably the hard transparent layer is mounted to the substrate by means of an adhesive.

More preferably the hard transparent layer includes an adhesive layer in the form of a peel able pressure sensitive adhesive.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of protecting and displaying an item of memorabilia including: providing an assembly including: a first support substrate having an outer surface and an oppositely facing surface; a second protective external layer, the protective external layer adapted to be at least partially co-extensively mounted to the first substrate, the external layer further including an opening; a memorabilia enclosure at least partially transparent having a shaped portion adapted to be received within the opening, the shaped portion providing a housing for an item of memorabilia of similar shape, the shaped portion ending in an annular peripheral edge; the method includes inserting the shaped portion through the opening, placing the item of memorabilia within the shaped portion, mounting the external layer on to the substrate wherein the peripheral annular edge rests between the external layer and substrate adjacent the opening so as to retain the enclosure within the assembly and display the item of memorabilia within the shaped potion of the enclosure in three dimensions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a transparent layer juxtaposed in relation to the first substrate.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the assembly wherein the mounting portion is circular.

Fig. 4 is an assembly in perspective view including the mounting portion of fig. 3 Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the assembly including a planar mounting portion.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of fig. 5 showing mounting portion in sandwich relation.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the assembly showing knurled edge in wedged engagement.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the assembly showing a tapered mounting portion.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the assembly according to Fig. 9 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE DRAWING Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated an assembly (1) according to the invention adapted to display a spherical ball such as a golf ball. It is to be understood however that the item sought for display is not limited to any particular shape.

According to Fig. 1 the assembly (1) provides a support substrate (10) of planar configuration that includes an outer surface (2) and an oppositely disposed inner surface (9) separated by an edge (3). The assembly (1) includes a protective transparent layer (12) which co- extensively mounts on to the support substrate (10). Both the support substrate and the protective layer include openings (11) and (14) respectively therein which align in a mounted condition so as to form a single opening. It is of course understood that the opening may be of any desired shape to allow retention of any particular three dimensional item of memorabilia. The assembly further includes a display enclosure (5), which consists of a planar mounting portion (6) from which there extends upwardly substantially at right angles a blister (7) for retaining therein a golf ball (8) or otherwise item of memorabilia of like shape.

In one embodiment shown in reference to Fig. 1 the blister (7) is inserted through the single opening formed by alignment of openings (11) and (14) and the planar mounting region (6) of the enclosure (5) comes to rest against the inner surface (9) of the support substrate (10).

This arrangement is preferred because any flaws in the planar region of the enclosure are hidden from plain view. The support substrate (10) is fabricated from a paper composite.

The protective cover (12) is shown in juxtaposition relative to the outer surface of the

support substrate (10) and is coextensively adhered thereto by means of an adhesive. In this embodiment the cover (12) is transparent and selected from a plastic material, which exhibits significantly higher resistance to scratching than the corresponding enclosure in the applicants'admitted art.

In one embodiment the shaped portion (7) of the enclosure (5) exhibits a secure/snug fit within openings in both the support substrate (10) and protective cover (12) thereby to retain the enclosure within the assembly. The assembly can further include a backing board (15), for wall mounting which is at least partially co-extensive with the inner surface (9) of the support substrate and abuts against the planar mounting region of the display enclosure (5) so as to encapsulate an item of memorabilia within the blister (7). In an alternate embodiment the support may include an engagement means (not shown) on the inner surface (9) for engaging the planar mounting region of the enclosure (5) so as to prevent inadvertent removal of the enclosure from the assembly.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the support substrate (10) can include an area (16) for a plaque or other descriptive material (not shown). In this embodiment the protective layer need only be partially transparent. Hence the protective layer may include regions of transparency, which correspond with the plaque and/or descriptive material so that in assembled condition only the descriptive material can be viewed by an observer in the transparent regions.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4 there is shown an alternate preferred embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the assembly (15) includes a support substrate (16), fabricated from masonry board, on which there is mounted a hard transparent plastic protective layer (17) relative to the enclosure (18). The protective layer (17) is mounted on to the substrate and fastened thereto by means of an adhesive (PSA). The adhesive can be pre-applied to the protective plastic layer by means of a thin peel able paper layer which when required can be removed so as to expose a fresh surface of adhesive.

According to the assembly referred to in figs. 3 and 4 the mounting portion of the enclosure is a circular flange (13) configuration that in assembled condition is sandwiched (23) firmly between the hard transparent layer (17) and support substrate (16). In an assembled condition the outside diameter of the circular flange (13) rests adjacent the opening (14) and

prevents inadvertent removal by virtue of being larger than the corresponding opening (14) in the protective layer (17). Similarly with reference to figures 5 and 6 the mounting portion (13), which is shown in planar configuration, is sandwiched (23) between the support substrate and the protective layer. In a further embodiment the support substrate (16) may include an engagement means (not shown) on the outer surface (2) thereof for engaging the circular or planar mounting flange (13) so as to securely retain the enclosure within the assembly. In yet a further embodiment the support substrate may alternatively incorporate a groove or opening (not shown) to accommodate the mounting portion of the enclosure.

Alternatively the assembly according to figs 7 and 8 include a transparent plastic memorabilia enclosure (18), which as shown has a moulded shaped portion (19) ending in a mounting region in the form of an annular knurled or knurled edge (20). The shaped region as mentioned previously can be of any desired three dimensional shape or configuration for receiving an item of memorabilia (not shown) of like shape such as for example a golf ball, tennis ball, or cricket ball.

In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 3 to 10 the support substrate does not include an opening. The protective layer on the other hand has an opening (14) through which the shaped region (blister) (19) of the enclosure (18) is inserted to attain an assembled condition.

In a fully assembled condition the shaped portion (19) of the enclosure (18) sits proud of the protective hard plastic layer (17). The enclosure is securely retained within the assembly because (a) the knurled edge (20) is wedged (24) between the opening (14) in the protective layer (17) and (b) the knurled edge provides the enclosure with an external diameter, which is slightly greater than the diameter of the opening. The wedging action of the knurled edge may be strengthened by fastening with a conventional adhesive.

Referring to figures 9 and 10 there is shown an assembly in which the opening (14) in the protective layer (17) is tapered (25) and the mounting planar flange portion (21) includes a complimentary mating element (22), best seen in figure 9. In a preferred embodiment the mating element of the flange portion can be formed integral with the shaped portion of the enclosure. While this embodiment is shown in reference to both a rectangular opening and mounting portion it is to be understood that the same concept applies equally for any geometry such as a circular.